RNC, NC Elections Board settle lawsuit over noncitizen voter rolls

National Republicans and the North Carolina State Board of Elections have agreed to settle a lawsuit over the removal of noncitizens from the state’s voter rolls, according to reporting by Kyle Ingram of the News & Observer.

The proposed settlement, if approved by a Wake County Superior Court judge, would require election officials to use jury questionnaire responses — which ask those summoned whether they are U.S. citizens — to identify and remove potential noncitizens from voter rolls, the News & Observer reported. The agreement also directs officials to refer information to the State Bureau of Investigation if records indicate a voter cast a ballot before becoming a citizen.

The Republican National Committee and NC GOP originally filed suit before the 2024 elections, accusing the board — then under a Democratic majority — of failing to comply with a state law directing use of jury questionnaires for voter roll maintenance, Ingram reported. The board denied those claims. The lawsuit lay dormant until this week, when the RNC filed the proposed settlement with the board, which now has a Republican majority.

Numerous studies have found noncitizen voting to be exceedingly rare, the News & Observer noted. Advocacy groups North Carolina Asian Americans Together and El Pueblo, intervening parties in the case, have not consented to the settlement.